Kesha Performs Stirring Cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Til It Happens to You’

Last night (May 7), Kesha attended the Humane Society's "To The Rescue!" Gala in Los Angeles, where she performed a rousing rendition of Lady Gaga's anti-rape culture anthem "Til It Happens to You."

Taking to the stage, the artist addressed the crowd of her intentions somberly: "I want to dedicate this song to every man, woman, child and animal that has ever been abused." Then, backed by the song's original co-writer Diane Warren on piano, Kesha — visibly roused by the track's context, her voice cracking after singing the first line — motioned for Warren to restart the ballad a few times in order to regain her composure.

After gathering her strength, the pop star powered through the Academy Award-nominated track, her vocals vulnerable, raw, and emotive, poignantly-suited to the very personal content of its heartbreaking lyrics. Considering Kesha's ongoing legal battle with her accused abuser, producer Dr. Luke (who maintains that the artist's allegations against him are false), the song clearly hit home for her, evident by her emotions onstage.

Her performance at the gala comes just weeks after Kesha's triumphant live collaboration with Zedd at Coachella. The pair's track, "True Colors," which is off the EDM artist's album of the same name, serves as an ode to overcoming trauma — a narrative Kesha knows a thing or two about.